buzzmag

Considering 17" Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Tires & ASA ST4 Wheels for my 2006 RL from Tire Rack. Will replacing OEM tires and wheels be a problem for the TPMS?

Any advantage going to 18" tires and wheels.

Name or Screen Name: buzzmag
Country/State/City of purchase: USA. PA, Ardmore
Last 5 digit of Vin: 02429
Color Ext/Int: Black - Parchment
Month/Yr of purchase: December 2005
Price paid before tax/lic: $43,500

Front, Side & Rear Under Body Spoilers

hendjaz

Buzzmag, I can't speak to the 18'' question on the RL but I changed out the OEM tires quite a while ago to the 17" Sport A/S and it is one of the best purchases I have made. Wonderful tire compared to most anything but particularly to the stock tire. It is quieter and certainly provides better handling, traction and all around driving experience. Definetely no regrets other than waiting too long to make the change. I kept the OEM wheels which are a bit boring but serviceable so no information on the wheels you are looking at.

I have 18" tires on another car but it has a sport suspension and the ride is more firm and hitting bumps is more noticeable but that may be due more to the suspension than the tire. The 18'' has a bit less sidewall I believe so may be somewhat more prone to communicating the bumps.

cwdonahue

Personally, I have no problem with switching between a winter and summer setup. I did that with my A6 4.2 and loved it. I am implementing the same plan for my RL. I purchased ASA ST4 wheels (silver finish, not chrome) in the 18" size with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires (245/45). I consulted with the guys at Tire Rack before I picked the Eagle F1s. Several other options are available, but the "bang for buck" ratio favored the Eagle F1s. Dunlop SP Sport Maxx looks good, but it's a very new tire and they don't have a lot of experience with it yet. The new Pilot Sport PS2 is not available in the 245/45 size, otherwise, I might have picked that tire.

The advantage of the 18" tire with a narrower sidewall is quicker and more responsive handling. Yes, the ride will be a bit firmer, but I'm willing to make the trade off. Since it's summer time, the roads are in better shape than winter with fewer potholes.

The new rims and tires arrived yesterday. The ST4s look great. Even better than I expected. I won't put them on my car for a fewer more weeks. I have to wait until the Chicagoland area is clear of snow season. So, if you can wait a few more weeks, I'll tell you all about how well this setup works. Based on my previous experiences with my A6, it should be great.

buzzmag

hendjaz & cwdonahue

Thank you for the comments. One question. Will the tire and wheel change affect the TPMS?

hendjaz

Changing the tires only did not have any affect on TMP but I believe with a wheel change you need to get the sensors either transferred from the current wheel or purchase an additional set for the new wheels. I could be wrong on that though as I am going from memory from prior reading here and did not go through the wheel changeout myself. There are other somewhat older threads here that address this though if you don't get a quick answer on this thread.

cwdonahue

Yes, you need sensors for any replacement wheels. The Tire Rack was able to supply the Acura TPMs for my new rims and tires. They charge $5 more per TPM than if you bought the parts from Acura, but you don't pay sales tax so you get some pennies back there. The new wheels arrived with valve stems identical to those on my stock wheels, so they must be the same part!

My stock wheels (TPMs and all) will be put in storage until next fall, then I'll put some Dunlop Wintersport M3s on them. Then I'll have to get rid of a set of Michelin HX MXM4s with about 2K miles on them.

JMikeF

I just had the 17" Sport A/S mounted and agree with everything above.

Not sure what your expectations are, but for me $900+ to replace OEM tires that only had 9000 miles on them was worth every penny.

buzzmag

Thanks to all. Just ordered the 18" tires and wheels from Tire Rack. Incredibly efficient and knowledgeable people. The bonus is they have an installer two blocks from my home and will ship to the installer.

hendjaz

Did you go with the Pilot Sport A/S 18'' or another tire? If another, which one?

buzzmag

Went with 18" Pilot Sport AS & ASA STW Silver Wheels. I'm not much for chrome wheels.

static808

Congrats on the new wheels.

Can you show us the pictures of the wheels. I am looking at the same wheels.

buzzmag

Give me a few days. Wet weather here and I'll cleanup the wheels when it clears up.

static808

Thanks buzzmag. Can't wait to see those cool wheels.